The present invention relates, generally, to the field of temperature measurement and, more particularly, to a temperature probe which enables accurate reading of electromagnetic power deposition and temperature changes of irradiated biological tissue.
A conventional method of measuring internal temperature of biological tissue involves metallic sensors, such as thermistors and thermometers. Another known method of temperature measurement involves calorimetric techniques. However, each of these methods has been found deficient when used to measure temperature changes of biological tissue in the presence of electromagnetic field. For example, metallic sensors have the effect of concentrating electromagnetic field and producing undesirable localized hot spots in the biological tissue. Calorimetric methods require that the tissue be completely enclosed in some type of container while further restricting the temperature measurements until after irradiation of the material.
Research of biological tissue has been greatly restricted by the unavailability of a probe which does not perturb the electromagnetic field. Efforts to solve this problem have resulted in the use of more complex apparatus and techniques such as thermographic camera photographs of phantom modeling material, quick placement of metallic therometers, and other measurement techniques. Limitations of these methods include restricted accuracy of the measurement, limited accessability to the required measuring sites, as well as the inability of these techniques to take measurements during exposure of the tissue to radiation.